SKY BLUES 0 – 1 SHEFF UTD We can call this match the “Waiting Game”, waiting for news of the takeover, waiting for the Sky Blues Second – Half onslaught, waiting for Leon McKenzie to score his 100^th goal and, perhaps more importantly, waiting for three home points. The truth of the matter is though, that we are still waiting on all counts. No news of the impending takeover, which is a bit of a worry following the mangers recent show of uncertainty. The second half onslaught never looked like occurring and even more worrying, was the lack of McKenzie even threatening to score. It is perhaps, a wonder he has go to 99 at all. Coventry’s own “Tinker Man” made three more changes from the disappointing result against Scunthorpe, with Elliot Ward surprisingly dropped, to be replaced my DeZeeuw, Borrowdale replaced the injured Marcus Hall at left back, and Cairo got a start in place of Isaac Osbourne, in what looked, on paper at least, an attacking line up. As the game commenced, however, we realised Mr Dowie had plumped for the 4 – 5 – 1 formation he seems to favour now. This has its merits, but the visitors had done their homework, man marking Jay Tabb and putting two men on big Dele, thereby negating our main threats. As has been his inconsistent form this term, Julian Gray looked more languid than usual, preferring to keep out of the way as much as possible and rarely threatening to get in behind his marker. Cairo also had a quiet game always hungry for a touch, without ever setting the game alight, and so a rather sterile affair plodded along to the break. With only a 32^nd minute shot troubling Paddy Kenny in the visitor’s goal. Doyle had an effort cleared for a corner and Adebola should have done better when clean through. So, for the eleventh consecutive game City went into the break goalless. HT 0 – 0 City made one enforced change at the break, with Osbourne replacing the excellent McNamee at right back, the Scot having picked up a slight hamstring pull; otherwise, it was as you were. On 60 minutes James Beattie, who had an otherwise quiet afternoon, forced Dimi into a save with a header. City’s only response being the “Belt it to Dele” approach, which was clearly having no goal threat at all. Shortly thereafter and we were behind, Beattie made a strong run down the right flank, before sitting a lovely ball into the box, where Chris Armstrong met with some aplomb. Dowie sent on McKenzie and switched to 4 – 4 – 2, and took off Cairo, with Gray looking ill at ease by this time, I believe it was a bad call, but McKenzie’s arrival stirred, as did other members in the crowd, who booed the decision. Gillespie then had a chance to increase the lead, but shot into the side netting, in front of a very vociferous away end. In a last gasp effort to salvage a point, Dowie replaced Borrowdale with Andrews, but to score a goal, you need to have a shot on target and I’m afraid to say, we didn’t trouble Kenny throughout the whole of the second half. And so the waiting goes on, the takeover talk seems to have stalled, as does our points gaining. McKenzie will have to wait for his 100^th goal, we wait for a first half goal and with West Brom on the horizon, and I wouldn’t hold your breath. GT M.O.M.Stephen Hughes Player Ratings: 6 ……. Dimi7 ……. McNamee6 ……. DeZeeuw6 ……. Turner5 ……. Borrowdale6 ……. Cairo7 ……. Hughes6 ……. Tabb6 ……. Doyle4 ……. Gray5 ……. Adebola Subs: 6 ……. Osbourne6 ……. McKenzie5 ……. Andrews

SKY BLUES 1 – 1 SCUNTHORPE

With the smallest crowd of the Season expected, it was a little disconcerting how easily we negotiated our way into the Ricoh for this seemingly easy chance for the Sky Blues to gain three much needed points, at home to a recently floundering Scunthorpe team, whom the City had never encountered in a League Fixture before. The lack of people was exemplified inside the ground too, with little problem getting served in the Premier Club and only the Casino Queues making consumption of Alcohol a bit of a hazard.

As the team sheets circulated around, we saw that Mr Dowie had decided to make three changes, Ward reclaiming a Central Defensive birth alongside Ben Turner, whilst elsewhere, Gray got the nod on the left flank and Leon McKenzie, in search of his 200^th League Goal, partnered Adebola up front. It looked a positive selection and so it proved, with City taking the initiative from the off. Tabb and Gray seeing plenty of possession early doors as the midfield gradually took control.

Our best chance of the half fell to McKenzie on 28 minutes, when Gray whipped a great cross in from the left, but the striker, who found himself with a free header, only managed to direct it over the bar when a goal seemed certain. Doyle had conjured himself a chance 6 minutes earlier, but saw his effort pass the wrong side of the post. A minute later and the referee pointed for a Penalty. Jay Tabb made a dart into the box and was clearly up-ended and we all waited for the inevitable outcome, only to see the visitors demanding that the referee consult his assistant. This he did and promptly altered his opinion, with a free-kick on the edge of the box the outcome, much to the dismay of the Home Support. Stephen Hughes took it, but blasted tamely wide of the post. HT 0 – 0.

Hardly had we all retaken our seats when “another Penalty” was awarded, again it was Tabb who made a great run into the area, where Murphy bundled him over, again the referee pointed to the spot, before showing the keeper a straight red card. As is usually the case in such circumstances, off went a midfielder and the sub keeper came on to face the spot kick. Michael Doyle strode confidently forward, taking the ball from McKenzie’s grasp, before driving low into the bottom corner to give us the lead.

A win looked a certainty now, with a goal lead and numerical advantage, but City suddenly retreated into defensive mode, stopped passing the ball and gave Scunthorpe the impetus. This they gladly took, all of a sudden displaying the determination which had seem them earn promotion last term and generally giving City a lesson in how to keep the football. A free kick from Jim Goodwin, which hit the crossbar with Dimi stranded, almost gave them an unlikely equaliser, before Elliot Ward was, not for the first time this season, caught napping, allowing Jack Cork to fire under the City keepers body.

The goal re-awakened the home team, with Dowie looking to freshen things up a bit. Off came the impressive Tabb, who had picked up a knock, to be replaced by Ellery Cairo. Shortly thereafter Wayne Andrews & Michael Hughes replaced McKenzie and Stephen Hughes respectively. Much Huffing and puffing followed, with Cairo making a great run towards the box, only to be upended by visiting right back, and my man of the match for them, Youga. This was his second book able offence within the space of 10 minutes and he joined Murphy in the bath.

Surely we must score, but, apart from a glancing header by Andrews and an overhead kick by Marcus Hall, we rarely threatened to score and, in fairness, Scunthorpe probably deserved a draw, for their dogged determination not to allow us past.

Things certainly picked up in the second half, as is the norm, but that it ten consecutive games since we last scored in the first half, and the boos that rang out of an Half Empty Stadium, were more for frustration than any lack of effort. However, it is another two points lost and the crowd of 14,038 was a clear 2,000 lower than our lowest gate at the new Stadium. We must all hope and pray for the Take-over to happen sooner, rather than later.

GT M.O.M.

Jay Tabb

Player Ratings:

6 ……. Dimi

8 ……. McNamee

7 ……. Ward

6 ……. Turner

6 ……. Hall

7 ……. Gray

7 ……. Doyle

6 ……. Hughes

8 ……. Tabb

7 ……. Adebola

6 ……. McKenzie 

LOCAL bands have organised a ‘Support the City’ night to raise money for the cash-strapped Sky Blues.

It will take place at The Phoenix, Gosford Street, on Monday December 10 at 7.30pm.

Paul Ryan from Circle 3, who are releasing their debut single that day, said: “All bands support or have at least two Coventry City supporters and are all really up for doing this to help raise awareness about the club’s future.

“We plan to do this one off to see how it goes, then move it to a bigger venue with a bigger line up if it’s a success.”

Bands performing on the night include Circle 3, The Floss Mcyntre, Bootleg Poets and Shakes and Shivers.

Tickets, priced £3 are available on the door.

All funds raised from the night will go to the Sky Blue Trust/Coventry Times “Your City Needs You” appeal which is raising funds for youth development and the Academy at Coventry City.

Let’s Stick Together!

With the Sky Blues enjoying a positive start to the 07/08 campaign, and with the team currently hovering around the play-off places, the second half of the season promises to be one of the most exciting run-ins for many years.

We want YOU to be there with us and join Iain Dowie’s ‘Crusade For Success’!

You can do this by taking advantage of our ‘Half Season Ticket’ offer. Prices start from £181* for adults - that’s JUST £15.08 PER MATCH - and £95* concessions, which equates to JUST £7.92 PER MATCH.

And, if you snap-up your half season ticket before November 30 2007 you will get a FREE match ticket for BOTH forthcoming home fixtures against Sheffield United (December 1) and Southampton (December 15)!

Simply put, there has never been a better time to become a CCFC season ticket holder, and YOU could make the difference between promotion or not.

For further information, or to purchase, please contact the Ticket Office on 0870 421 1987 (option 1) or e-mail ticketoffice@ccfc.co.uk now.

*Prices quoted above are for Zone 4 seating areas only (Blocks 14,15,25 & 26). All other zones (1-3) available at half of normal ‘Post June 2′ Season Ticket prices.

Click here to visit the online ticketing service which includes the Season Ticket Zonal Price List.

Free match ticket offer only available until 5.00pm Friday 30 November. Normal Season Ticket Terms & Conditions apply.

This Club is the heart of the City, and you are the heart of this Club.

Play up Sky Blues!

SKY BLUES 0 – 4 W BA

What a difference from the last international break, when we had the sight of the Sky Blues sitting proudly atop of the Championship for two weeks, following last nights debacle, I would imagine Mr Dowie can’t wait for the next game, to attempt to put the record straight. For this was a miserable second half performance from City, with all the endeavour, so readily in evidence this season, sadly missing in all areas of the pitch.

Lets clear up the “Big Decision” first, Michael Mifsud led with his elbow and can have no complaints about the decision to be shown a straight red card, the fact that the referee deliberated so long before producing it, only managed to cloud what was a very easy decision to make. What followed, in the first half at least, showed what a spirited bunch of players the manager has at his disposal? The second half however, provided a different story altogether, with the defence pulled apart, almost at will and the tracking back tailing off, allowing a good Albion team, to look like World Beaters.

We started brightly again, hitting passes to feet and looking to use the width and pace of the little Mosquito whenever possible, but all that changed on 10 minutes when, for reasons only known to him, Mifsud had a rush of blood and got himself sent off. City adapted well and, to be fair, looked the better side, but endeavour will get you so far in football and although we held our own, we rarely looked like taking the lead. Whilst at the other end, big Dimi did well to push a Teixeira shot over the bar for a corner. HT 0 – 0

The Baggies came out for the second half looking like a different team, Tony Mowbray had obviously instilled into his charges that the way to play against 10 men, is to keep the ball and look for the gaps. It worked to a tee, with gaps aplenty for the visitors to play in to. Dowie made one change at the break himself, removing the languid Leon Best, who he replaced with Kevin Kyle.

On 55 minutes the visitors took the lead, a ball was knocked inside Isaac Osbourne into the path of onrushing Paul Robinson. The fullback placed a deft chip over the advancing Dimi, to the delight of the boinging away fans. It would have been nice if we had tightened things up for 5 – 10 minutes, but two minutes later it was 2 – 0. This time the little Portuguese Star nipped in between the hesitant DeZeeuw & Turner to blast past the startled City Keeper.

The home players heads seemed to Palpably drop after this goal, with all the hard work looking like it would count for nought, Leon McKenzie replaced the tiring Adebola, but not before Albion had made it three. On 72 minutes Teixeira found a bit of space inside the box, then manoeuvred himself into a position to place a shot past Bid Dimi again. By now all signs of resistance had fallen away, allowing Jonathan Greening plenty of time to dictate the play, passing the ball, at will to his team-mates, in all areas of the park.

With time almost up, and most City fans having made their way to the exits, the visitors scored a fourth. This time Teixeira crossed for Koren to tap into an empty net and City’s embarrassment was complete. That’s 10 goals conceded against three promotion hopeful’s, without a goal to call our own. If ever a takeover was needed, it is now well overdue at the Ricoh Arena.

GT M.O.M.

Michael Doyle

Player Ratings:

6 ……. Dimi

5 ……. Hall

5 ……. DeZeeuw

5 ……. Turner

5 ……. Osbourne

2 ……. Mifsud

6 ……. Doyle

6 ……. Hughes

6 ……. Tabb

5 ……. Adebola

4 ……. Bestwe H

For our second “Executive Away Day” we travelled with Raj Athwal to Stoke City with a 40 strong group of Sky Blues fanatics, with a meet time at the Ricoh of 10h30, there was plenty of time to have a “cup of tea” before embarking on our mission for 3 points against the improving Potters. All aboard and we were off, with our now famous win over Man Yoo on the DVD and a happy mood enveloped the bus.
(Read on …)

Something For The Weekend

From 9am – 5pm this Saturday, the legendary Sky Blues 1987 bus and some of the stars from the Cup winning team will be present at the Cathedral Lanes Shopping Centre in Coventry. Here they will be available for signings and picture opportunities.

In addition, Mercia’s Black Thunders and Sky Blue Sam will be in attendance for a fun packed day which includes raffle prizes such as signed T-shirts, footballs and framed pictures.

So show your support for the City and come and join us for this exclusive opportunity.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJjiLhbnl0k 450 450]

Jay Tabb sneaks in at the back post to put the Sky Blues one up against West Ham in the 4th round of the Carling Cup

A feeling of utter bewilderment seemed to cover most of the stadium following Carlton Cole’s late winner, against a rejuvenated Coventry City team, who seem to be saving their best for the cup. I for one felt a mixture of pride and dejection at the final whistle. Pride at the manner the Sky Blues went about their work, with a fierce determination to compete on level terms with the visitors and utter dejection at seeing the faces of the players at the final whistle, having lost to a Premiership Team, who had two shots on goal all night.

This was a game when the best side lost, the team with all the grit and determination, guile and none too small amount of skill, came off second best. We could chose to blame individuals, but I think we should concentrate on the plusses from this fantastic Cup Tie, played with pretty good spirit throughout. (Read on …)

THE takeover of Coventry City Football Club was thrown into confusion last night as two millionaires tabled rival bids for the club and the Ricoh Arena.

ICCoventry have revealed that an investment team including wealthy former footballer Ray Ranson is behind an offer which has the support of the Arena owners ACL.

Mr Ranson attended last night’s Carling Cup clash against West Ham at the Ricoh Arena.

But a second bid suddenly emerged yesterday from the multi-millionaire former Coventry City Football Club chairman Geoffrey Robinson.

Both offers were put before a crisis meeting of the City board yesterday.

Read the full article here